Portable dark room.



PATENTED MAR. '7, 1905.

H. B. JOHNSTON.

PORTABLE DARK ROOM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

WITNESSES PATENTED MAR. '7, 1905.

H. E. JOHNSTON.

PORTABLE DARK ROOM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30,1904.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

. 1N VEN TOR. W B Y A TTORNE Y.

v WITNESSES.- w H.41

Patented March '7, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY EARL JOHNSTON, OF OBERLIN, OHIO.

PORTABLE DARK ROOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 784,163, dated March 7, 1905.

Application filed June 30,1904. serial No. 214M737.

To (ti/Z whmn it 'majg concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY EARL JOHNSTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oberlin, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Dark Rooms; and I do dcclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to photographing apparatus; and the invention consists in an apparatus on wheels for traveling photographers and which is provided with asuitable cabinet or body in which is a dark chamber and equipments for carrying on a photographers business, all substantially as shown and described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a rear perspective View of my new and original traveling apparatus open and ready for use. Fig. Qis a central front-to-rear sectional elevation of the said apparatus. Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view of the apparatus with certain of the parts in changed position as compared with Fig. 1 and as hereinafter fully described; and Fig. a is a cross-section on line w :r, Fig. 2.

The idea of the invention as thus shown is to provide a photographer with a traveling outfit or equipment for taking photographs as he goes here and there in the country and elsewhere, but more especially for country work, and the plan is to provide means for taking, enlarging, developing, and finishing the work on the spot, so that an enlarged picture may be mounted and framed,if desired, for sale.

To this end the invention comprises a suitable four Wheeled vehicle upon which is mounted a cabinet or body A of a sufiicient size to carry all the necessary instrumentalities and constructed to form a suitable dark room or developing-chamber, as well as means for washing out the plates and for the purposes as will hereinafter be more fully seen. To these ends said cabinet or body is fashioned substantially as shown and contains a trough 'B in its bottom in whichthere is showna tray or pan 6, which is preferably a separate part and into which water is adapted to run from the pipe 0, connected with water-tank O, a suitable faucet being provided on said pipe to control the flow of water, as usual. Assuming that a printis lying in saidpan to be enlarged, I provide for enlargement of the picture by means of asuitable lens (Z and lens-support (1, set in the vertical skylight-passage D, which in this instance is shown as having two glass plates 7/ and Not different sizes located at its top one above the other and separated relatively, as shown, with the larger one, of ground glass, outside, so that any light which comes to the lens will flow through this glass medium, and the lens frame orsupport d is adapted to be raised and lowered in the said channel on the ledges or slides (Z for varying the focus and to give larger or smaller sizes to the picture. Said light-passage D may also be entirely closed against admission of light when this becomes necessary.

The dark effect in the cabinet or box A is maintained during the developing period of the plate or picture, and facilities for manipulating the plate are afforded through an inner door G, which is hinged at its top on the rear of body A, so that it may be lowered, as seen in Fig. 1, or raised out of the way of the operator, as seen in Fig. 3, and the said door is provided with a hood or covering 0 about a central opening therein to admit the head of the photographer and serves to engage about the neck of the operator and to exclude light while he is at work inside. Armlets or sleeves g cover two holes or openings lower down in said door and are adapted to be drawn over the arms of the operator, but leaving him free to enter his arms within the cabinet and work therein during the darkened period of his operations. \V hen the dark work has been finished, the door Ur and covers thereon are raised out of the way, say, as seen in Fig. 3. The outer and lower hinged door H is adapted to be raised to provide a working surface like a table for the operator. Upon this table he can perform whatever work he may have to do which can be done in the light. in traveling both doors G and H are tightly closed, which excludes all dust from within the chamber, and whatever light may be admissible or desired is obtained through the side of the body or cabinet by a small red light-glass /i.

It will be noticed that the door G is the inner door, while door H is the outer door and overlaps the said inner door when both are closed and is held in closed position by a catch or dog lei.

The tank B is shown here as in a dropped portion of the body A and is in such position as to be within reach of the operator when he extends his arms through the sleeves g and has his head entered through the hood g. The tank U is adapted to be supplied with water through the opening 0 in the top of body A, and stay-chains 7t serve to support the door of table H at any desired elevation.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a photographic apparatus, a vehicle and a body thereon provided with a dark developing-chamber at its rear end and central and side openings for the head and arms respectively, of the operator in at the rear of said body, and flexible coverings for the head and arms of the operator secured about said openings, substantially as described.

2. A vehicle and a body thereon having a dark working chamber for a photographer in its rear, a door on the outside 01 said chamber and hooded openings in said door at diti'erent elevations for the head and arms of the operator, respectively, substantially as described.

3. In a traveling 1.)hotographic apparatus, a vehicle and a body thereon having a dark chamber at its rear end and a trough in said chamber, a door to close said chamber to the outside light having arm and head holes at diflercut elevations, and flexible coverings for arm and head over said holes, substantially as described.

4. In a photographic apparatus, a vehicle and a body thereon having a trough in its bottom and a skylight-passage through its top over said trough, and a lens in said passage, substantially as described.

5. The vehicle and the body thereon, a shylight-passage open th rough the top 0 t' said body and a lens in the lower portion of said passage, said passage constructed to place the lens at different elevations, substantially as described.

6. The vehicle and the body thereon, a sl y light-passage in said body provided with glass covers at its top and a lens in the lower portion of said passage, and hooded openings in the rear of said body, substantially as described.

7. In a photographic apparatus, a vehicle and a body thereon, and a set of doors at the rear of said body adapted to told one over the other, one of said doors hinged at the top of said body and the other at the bottom thereof, substantially as described.

8. In a photographic a1.)paratus, a vehicle and a dark chamber thereon provided with a skylight-passage extending downward lrom its top, and a lens device in said passage, substantiall as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY EARL JOl'lNSlUY.

IVitnesses:

R. B. Mosnn, C. A. SELL 

